Cider-machine



(No Modl.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. M. K. BRUBAKER.

- CIDER MACHINE. No. 334,343. Patented Jan. 12, 1886.

lol

9351 fitter/ma 8 N. PETERS. PhcluJJthugmpher. Washington. D. Q

(N0 ModeL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. M. K. BRUBAKER. CIDER MACHINE. No. 334,343. Patented Jan. 12, 1886.

N. PETERS, rmmumn hen Washington, ac

L 2 911140 was UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARTIN K. BRUBAKER, OF MOUNT JOY, PENNSYLVANIA.

CIDER-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 334,343, dated January 12, 1886,

Application filed November 18,1585. Serial No. 183,231. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN K. BRUBAKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mount Joy, in the county of Lancaster and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Cider-Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in cidermachines; and the novelty consists in the peculiar construction and combinations of the several parts, substantially as hereinafter fully set forth, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a machine of the class named in which the apples and the like are first reduced to a pulp and then conveyed to the pressure devices, where the valuable juices are extracted and forced from the pulp and the refuse discharged; to provide means whereby the carrying-belt is kept clear and free from adhering particles of refuse to provide means whereby the pressure of the extracting rollers can be regulated; to provide devices for regulating the tension of the carrying -belt, and to combine simplicity, strength, and durability of construction with thorough effectiveness of operation.

In the drawings hereto annexed,'which,form a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a cider-machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view on the line at at of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a vertical crosssection on the line 3 y of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, in which like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures, A designates the frame of my improved cider-machine,which is of any preferred or suitable construction, the one herein shown consisting of vertical cornerposts a, upper, lower, and intermediate longitudinal beams, a, a, and (1 respectively, and transverse beams a, the whole being securely and firmly bolted together and to the floor or other place.

B designates the hopper for the fruit to be reduced to a pulp, which hopper is arranged and supported at one end of the upper beams of the frame. The side walls of the hopper are made flaring or inclined, as usual, and in the same is arranged a toothed cylinder, 0, locatedin the lower discharge end thereof, said cylinder being mounted on a shaft, 0, which is journaled in the beams a of the frame A, and the outer end of the shaft Ohas a drivingpulley, c.

D designates the driving-shaft to the various mechanisms and devices, said shaft being journaled in proper boxes, (I, secured to the under or lower faces of the intermediate longitudinal beams, a", of the frame, near one end thereof, said shaft having a band-pulley, D, at one end,and over this pulleya belt is passed, to drive the shaft by motion communicated thereby from any suitable motor or source of power. This driving-shaft D is further provided with a pulley, 01, over which and the pulley c of the cylinder-shaft 0 passes a belt, (1, to rotate the toothed cylinder 0, to reduce the fruit in the hopper B, from whence it is discharged onto an endless traveling conveying-belt to the pressure extracting-rollers.

E designates the lower pressure-roller, and F the upper pressure roller, which are arranged to extract the juices from the pulp conveyed thereto by the conveying-belt G. The lower roller is preferably made hollow, as shown in Fig. 4; or it may be made partly hollow and partly solid, and said roller is perforated, as at e, for the free passage of extracted juices therethrough, and is mounted on a shaft, E, that is journaled in proper bearings, e, rigidly secured to the intermediate longitudinal beams, o of the frame A. One end of the shaft E of thelower pressure-roller is provided with a gear-wheel, E rigidly keyed or otherwise suitably secured thereon, and this gearwheel meshes with and is rotated by a pinion, E of the drivingshaft D, whereby the lower pressure-roller is given a positive rotating movement. The upper pressure roller, F, may be made either solid or hollow, and is supported on a shaft, F, that is journaled in bearings f, which are capable of vertical movement in frames f, rigidly secured to the upper longitudinal beams, a.

F designates adj usting-screws having band- 'wheels, and which work in brackets F, which are rigidly secured to the beams a. (See Figs.

1 and 4.) The periphery of the upper pressure-cylinder, F, has an elastic inclosing-sheath, F, preferably of rubber, and rigidly secured thereto, whereby when a large mass or charge of pulp is passed between the rollers the inelosing-sheath of the upper roller will yield, and, if the mass or charge of pulp still contin ues to exert pressure on the rollers the upper one thereof will move or yield upwardly, carrying with it the elastic sheath, its shaft, and the supporting-boxes therefor, the latter of which slide in the framesf, which serve as guides until they st rike the headed or enlarged ends of the adjusting-screws. These adj ust lug-screws thus serve as limiting-stops to the upper roller, and said screws can be adjusted to give the upper verticallyadjustable roller any desired degree of play or movement. The upper extracting or pressure roller is thus made yielding and vertically adjustable, to obviate the danger of bringing too greatstrain on the parts under a charge of pulp, or of stopping or clogging up the rollers; but I do not desire to limit myself to these particular constructions of the "ertieally-adjustable yielding roller and the bearing and limiting devices therefor, as I am aware that the same results can be secured by means of springs and adj ustingscrews bearing on the bearing boxes of the shaft of said upper roller. E has a gear-wheel, II, which meshes with a similar gear-wheel, H, of the shaft F, and communicates motion to the latter shaft and gearwheel F H, thus gearing the upper and lower in'essure-rollers together. The teeth of these gear-whecls are made of such a length as to be normally in engagement under any ordinary charge of pulp; but when an undue or larger charge than usual of pulp is fed between the rollers the upper vertically-adjustable roller is thrown out of gear until the pulp has been disposed of.

1 designates a large drum or pulley arranged at one end of the frame A, and supported on a shaft, 1, that is journaled in proper boxes, i, secured to the longitudinal beams a of the frame A, said drum having its side edges toothed .or provided with cogs or gear-wheels 1* at each side, as shown.

J designates a similar drum or pulley arranged at the opposite end of the frame, but

of a smaller diameter than the drum I. This drum J is secured on a shaft, J, that is journaled in bearings j, suspended from the beams a of the frame A, and said drum is provided at its side edges with cogs or gear-wheels J". The traveling belt G is arranged to pass over and is supported by the drums I J, and the belt passes beneath the hopper B, to convey the pulp therefrom to and between the extracting pressure rollers E F. The lower pressure roller, E, is provided with gearwheels K, which are keyed or otherwise rigidly secured thereon, and these gear-wheels are arranged in alignment with the gear-wheels 1 J of the drums I J. (See Fig. 2.)

The belt G comprises two chains, G, and a One end of the shaft I belt, G", the chains being arranged a distance apart equal to the distance between the gearwheels of the drums I J and roller E, over which they are arranged, and the belt G is secured to the chains G in any preferable manner, and is of any suitable material to permit the passage therethrough of the juices extracted from the pulp, preferably of canvas or other textile fabric. The drum J is arranged below the plane of the roller E, to cause the belt G to move below the said roller and to be acted upon by a knocking mechanism, M, to clear the belt of any refuse particles of inatterthat may adhere thereto, the belt G being inclined as it passes from the roller E to the drum J, and the refuse being thereby discharged as it passes over the drum J into a receptacle provided for that purpose.

The knocking mechanism M comprises a cross-bar, m, to which a series of two or more fingers, m, are secured, a supporting-arm, n, to which the cross-bar is rigidly secured, and said arm is secured at or near its middle to a rock-shaft, a, journaled in proper bG2IlIllgS,7t

secured to the lower beams, a", of the frame A,

and an actuating -whecl, N, for forcing the heater or striking arms against the belt and against the tension of the retracting spring, 0, of the supporting-arm a.

The actuating-wheel N comprises a hub, 0, having a series of radial arms, 1), which are rigidly keyed or otherwise secured on ashaft, 1), that is journaled in bearings 12, secured to the frame A, and this shaft 1) has a pulley, 1), that is driven by a belt, 19", deriving its motion from a similar pulley, p", on the drivingshaft D, as will be very readily understood. The retracting'spring 0 of the knocker-arm a is secured to said arm and the frame A or bearing of, and it may be provided with a guide-rod, as shown. The spring 0 normally draws the beating arm and fingers away from the belt; but when the actuating-wheel N is rotated, by the mcanshereinbefore described, the arms thereof rapidly strike and depress the rear end of the arm a and force the front end and the heater or knocker fingers thereof forcibly against the belt, to clear or free the belt from any adhering particles of pulp, the spring serving to draw the beater-arms away from the belt, while the actuatingwheel forces the same against the belt, and the actuatingwheel being driven at a high rate of speed a quick succession of forcible blows or strokes is given to the belt by the vibrating knockerarm and the fingers thereof.

Q designates stop rods or wires arranged a short distance above the conveying-belt and immediately over the point where the knockerarm acts upon the belt, said wires or rods being preferably arranged parallel with each other to subject the canvas section of the conveying-belt to a uniform action of the knockerarms, and suspended from the longitudinal beams to of the frame A by means of rods or arms q, pivotally connected to the wire frame and the said beams. \Vhen the canvas sec- 5 the movement of the belt and to increase the efficiency of the knocking mechanism, and by reason of the belt moving or traveling forwardly, successive and different portions thereof are brought in position to be acted upon by the knoeker-arm and stop-frame.

R designates a j nice-receiving hopper, suspended from the longitudinal beams a of the frame and arranged beneath the perforated pressure-roller E, to receive the juices there- 15 from and from the canvas section of the belt G, said hopper having an inclined discharging-spout, r, at one side of the machine, to conduct the juices into receptacles provided therefor.

The box z of the drum I is capable of a horizontally-sliding movement in its supporting-frames S, which are rigidly secured to the frame A, this sliding movement of theboxes being provided for adjusting the belt 25 G to increase or slacken the tension thereof,

as desired. I

The box 43 is actuated by means of an adj usting-screw, S, which works in a threaded socket in a bracket, S that is secured to the beams a a of the frame.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The apples or other fruit to be treated is first placed in the hopperB, and power is applied to the driving-shaft D, which communicates 5 its motion to the various other mechanisms,

and sets the same in motion. The toothed reducing-cylinder 0 reduces the fruit to a pulp, and it is discharged from the hopper B onto the traveling belt G, which carries the the valuable juices are extracted from the pulp and forced through the canvas or textile section of the belt into the perforated roller E, and are discharged or flow into the hopper It, and thence to receptacles provided therefor through the conducting-spoutr. The refuse pulpjs discharged from the belt or apron as it passes down the inclined portion between the roller E and drum J, and any particles that may adhere to the belt are disengaged therefrom by the action of the vibrating knocker-arm n, as before described.

It will be observed from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings, that I provide a cider-machine which is thoroughly effective and automatic in its operation, which can be very readily adjusted to suit various requirements or conditions, which reduces the fruit to a pulp and then extracts the juices therefrom and discharges the refuse, and which is not liable to get out pulp to and between the pressure-rollers, where I am aware that many changes therein can be made without departing from the principle or sacrificing the advantages of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a cider-machine, the combination, with the traveling belt, of a vibrating knockerarm and a stop arranged on the opposite side of the belt to the arm, to limit the movement of the belt when acted on by the said knocker-arm, substantially as described. 2. Inacider-machine, the combination,with the traveling belt, of a vibrating knocker arranged beneath the belt and a suspended stopframe arranged on the opposite side of the belt, substantially as described.

3. In a cider-machine, the combination, with the traveling belt, of a vibrating knockerarm having a series of fingers and a stopframe comprising a series of rods, substantially as described.

4. In acidermachine, the combination,with the traveling belt, of a suspended stop-frame having a series of rods, a vibrating knockerarm having fingers and secured upon an oscillating shaft, a retracting-spring connected to the arm, and a rotating wheel having radial arms to strike and actuate the knockerarm, substantially as described.

5. In a cider-machine, the combination of the main frame, a conveying-belt, a perforated fixed pressure-roller journaled in the frame, a yielding pressure-roller. idle-drums arranged at opposite ends of the machine for supporting the belt, one of said drums being arranged below the plane of the fixed pressure-roller, a driving-shaft geared to said fixed roller, and a hopper for receiving the extracted juices, the fixed roller having gearwheels, with which actuating-chains of the conveying-belt mesh to drive said belt, substantially as described.

6. In a cider-making machine, the combination of a traveling belt, a knocking mechanism acting on one side of the belt, and a limiting-stop arranged on the opposite side of the belt to the knocking mechanism, substantially as described.

7. In a cider-making machine, the combination of a traveling belt, an oscillating knocker-arm having a series of fingers at one end, and a rotating drive-wheel provided with radial arms to act on the free end of the knockerarm, substantially as described.

8. In a cider-machine, the combination of a traveling belt, an oscillating knocker-arm having beater-fingers at one end, an independent drive-wheel having radial arms to act on the free end of the knocker-arm, and a spring for normally retracting the beater-fingers of the knocker-arm out of engagement with the belt, substantially as described.

9. The combination of the main frame, a r 0 able pressure roller, a traveling belt having drive-chains at its side edges and an intermediate fabric section, and a receiving-hopper located below the belt and perforated pressureroller, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MARTIN K. BRUBAKER.

\Vitnesses:

JOHN B. S. ZELLER, JXO. I'I. ZELLER. 

